Railway-rail-fastening device.



H. E. HARRIS.

RAILWAY RAIL FASTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I8, 1916.

1,293,541. Patented Oct. 31,1916.

rains HUBERT n. HARRIS, or Macon, canons-1e.

BAILWAY'RAIL-FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Application filed .J'uly 18, 1916. Serial No. 109,984.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HUBERT E. HARRIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ma- Devices; and'l do hereby declarethe fol-, lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference I being had to the accompanying drawings,

provision of a combination tie plate and .1

andto the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

' This invention relates to new and useful improvements in means for holding railway rails upon tie plates and consists in the spike designed to interlock and tending to securely hold the rail upon a stringer or tie. The invention consists of a simple device of this nature having various details of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fullydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claims. I illustrate my invention in the accom panying drawings, in which F'gure 1 is a cross sectional view through a rail and tie plate, illustrating the spike in elevation. is a top plan view.

Reference howl" being had to the details .of the drawings by letter, A designates a railway rail of the usual construction having a flange B, and G is a tie or stringer supporting a tie plate D, which latterhas ribs E upon the under surface thereof engaging the upper portion of the tie, thus securely holding the plate against lateral movement. It will be noted that each plate has ribs F projecting from its upper surface and against whichv the opposite edges of the flanges of a rail are adapted to contact. The plate is aperture'd as at H, H for the reception of spikes I, each of the latter provided with a curved wedge-shaped portion J, and each provided with inclined edge 0 on the rear side of the spike opposite a notch N, which latter has its inner end inclined, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, said notch being adapted to receive one edge of the plate and the rib E thereon, said rib having its under surface inclined at an inclination parallel to the inclined end of the notch. The spike has a head with a laterally extending portion I over the notch andwhich is adapted to engage the upper surface of the flange of a rail in the manner shown clearly in the drawings.

In applying the fastening device, the plate is adjusted in place upon the tie or stringer and the ribs onthe undersurface thereof made to engage in the upper por-' tion of the tie, thus securely holding the tie plate from lateralmovement. The rail is then placed upon the plate with the opposite edges of the flange thereof resting against the ribs F, after which the spikes I are driven into the tie through the apertures in the plate D and, as the spike reaches its farthest inner limit in the tie, the wedgeshaped edge J of the spike will tend to cause the laterally extending portion I of the head to move toward the flange of the rail. This action cooperates with the action of the inclined edge of the spike against the wall of the hole in which the spike is driven to cause the latter'to engage the tie plate and flange in the manner shown in Fig. 1. When the spike is at its farthest inner limit in the tie, it will be noted that the edge of the flange and the inner wall of the'opening through which the spike passes will contact with the side wall of the notch, while the laterally extending portion of the head willengage the inclined surface of the flange of the rail, thus securely holding the latter in place. Any' tendency that the spike might have for any reason to loosen will be checked by the inclined-end of the notch coming in contact with the inclined edge of the rib on the under surface of the plate.

It will be noted by the construction of the device embodying the features of my invention that a simple and eflicient means is provided for securely locking a rail and tie plate to a stringer or tie, any tendency of the spike loosening, incident to swelling or shrinking of the tie or jar due to heavy trains passing over the rail, being prevented.

What I claim to be new is Arailway rail fastening device compris-wc mg 1n combinatlon with a tie, an apertu'red plate havingribs upon the under surface thereof adapted to engage the upper surface of the tie and having inner inclined faces, the outer edge of each rib being flush with the inner Wall of an aperture, a spike having a notch in the inner edge thereof and a laterally extending head for engagement over the flange of a rail, the edge of the spike opposite said notch being beveled and the inner edge of the spike adjacent to its pointed endbeing beveled, the two beveled 10 notch being inclined and positioned parallel weasel with and spaced apart from the inclined face of the rib when the spike is driven in place, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

H. E. HARRIS.

Witnesses A. L. Honenx, FRANKLIN HJHOUGH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eaclnby addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

